Unforeseen Consequences
by Julian Amici
Summary: Ryoga has come back from some intensive training, and finally beats Ranma. However, this causes problems he was not expecting. So what's a young pig to do? And what will everyone else's lives be like? Rated T for non-graphic Ecchi.
1. Unforeseen Consequences

Unforeseen Consequences

By: Julian Amici

This is a fan-based production and is not intended for sale or profit. Ranma 1/2 is owned by Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Video. Please support the official release.

Ryoga walked through the streets of Nerima, his fist clenched and his mouth in a wolfish grin. "Today, Ranma Saotome, today you will meet your end!" He finally saw the school he had been searching for the past two months. Furinkan High. "I've gone through intense training just to defeat you, and today I will have my vengeance!"

"Hey there, Mr. P."

Ryoga jumped back, clearly startled. "R… Ranma?!"

"So, you got back from your training journey?" Ranma wore his normal red Chinese shirt and slung his school bag over his back. Akane stood at his side.

"Welcome back, Ryoga! How have you been?"

"Oh, you know, a lot of training and everything. Mountain life can be tough, but it's really sharpened my senses. I can see anythi…" At that moment, Ryoga was pushed to the ground, a bicycle tire having landed on his head.

"Ni Hao, Airen! Shampoo bring you special lunch! Please eat for Shampoo!" Shampoo's bicycle began to lift off the ground. "What is happen?"

"Get… offa me!" With one move, Ryoga threw the tire off himself, sending Shampoo and her bicycle flying to the other end of the courtyard. He pointed right to Ranma's face. "Right now, Ranma, right now I will defeat you once and for all!"

Ranma rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure, whatever. Let's get this over with." He fell down into a fighting stance.

Akane simply started walking away. "Geez, is fighting all you two ever do?"

Ryoga got into his own fighting stance. His wolfish grin returned onto his face. 'It's time to put my new training to the test!' he thought to himself. He simply stared at Ranma, that same grin on his face. For almost a full minute, the two just stood, when suddenly, in a flash of motion, Ranma was thrown back into one of the stone walls of the school, creating a crater. "What, not feeling up to the challenge today, Ranma?"

Ranma pushed himself off the wall, shook off the shock of the attack, and scowled at his rival. "Oh, just you wait. I'll take you down so hard your head'll spin!" He rushed at the yellow-clad boy in front of him, threw out a punch, and got scared when Ryoga simply vanished. A split-second later, Ranma felt a strike on his back as Ryoga drove his elbow into it. Ranma decided then he didn't like the taste of concrete, as he had a large amount force-fed to him by the dropping elbow. He tried to push himself off the ground, but the force of the elbow had knocked the wind out of him, and his impact with the ground had bruised his ribs. It was painful just to breath, not only to move. Ranma knew Ryoga was freakishly strong, but this was just insane.

Ryoga stood over his hated rival and crossed his arms. "Well, that new training was worth it. I didn't think beating you would be _that_ easy…"

A purple blur hit Ryoga on the head, appearing in front of him. "You no hurt Airen, Shampoo make you sorry!"

Ryoga hadn't even felt the attack. He raised his hands up defensively. "Whoa, no. I'm not gonna fight a girl. I don't have any reason to fight you."

Shampoo smirked. "Then it easy for Shampoo to beat you." She rushed at the lost boy, but learned that Ryoga's training allowed him to act on instinct. She found herself being hit several times and thrown into the wall, making a crater in it right next to the one that Ranma's impact had made.

Ryoga looked over his handiwork on Shampoo, utterly horrified. He ran over to her and picked her up off the ground, cradling her in his arms. "Oh my God, are you alright? I didn't mean to, my body just reacted! I'm so sorry, please tell me you're okay!"

Slowly, Shampoo opened her eyes. It took her a moment, but she focused on the boy holding her. She had no idea he was so strong. "R… Ryoga beat Ranma…"

Ryoga nodded. "Uh, yeah. Are you okay?"

She cupped his face with her hand. "Ryoga beat Shampoo." Her eyes glistened, and a blush formed on her cheeks. Ryoga started gaining a sense of dread. "Ryoga strongest man…" She leapt up and threw her arms around Ryoga's neck. "Airen!"

Now Ryoga started to freak out. "Wh… what!? Why are you holding me like that? Did you hit your head? Should I take you to a doctor? Can you see straight? What did I d…" He couldn't finish his sentence, as Shampoo pressed her lips against his. His eyes widened, and he became very aware of the purple-haired amazon he was holding pressing herself against him. She tried to deepen the kiss, but blood erupted from his nose, and the world went black. The last words that went through his head were 'what did I do!?'

Ryoga woke up on a soft futon inside a room he didn't recognize. He heard arguing, but was too groggy to make any of it out. All he knew was that the voices were familiar. He tried to shake off the feeling of light-headedness he had, but it just brought a wave of nausea. He couldn't place it, but he felt like a man who was doomed.

He rolled out of the futon, fighting down the nausea, and sat up, forcing himself to concentrate. After a moment, he started to make out voices. The main voices that were arguing he knew. Mousse, Shampoo, and Cologne. 'Huh. I must be in the Cat Café' he thought to himself. 'I wonder why?'

"What do you mean he's your fiancé?" Mousse yelled from downstairs. "What about me?"

"What about Ranma? I didn't spend all that time training him so you could change your mind." Cologne sounded more irate than normal.

"Shampoo no think great-grandmother train Ranma to lose so quickly! Ryoga stronger than Ranma, and stronger than Shampoo. Shampoo marry Ryoga!"

"But… but Shampoo!" Mousse's voice was whinier than normal, Ryoga thought. "You can't marry him! He turns into a pig!"

"Mousse think it better marry duck?" Shampoo's voice was filled with venom. "Beside, cat and pig make cute couple. Cat and duck no make cute couple. Mousse never defeat Ranma, so what make Mousse think ever defeat Ryoga?"

"Well you can't make Ryoga love you, Shampoo!" There was an odd triumph in Mousse's voice. "He's in love with Akane Tendo! Just like with Ranma, you won't be able to make him love you either!"

"Just you watch Shampoo!" Ryoga heard loud stomping heading for the room. He debated pretending like he was still asleep, but decided against it. Not only would it invite the crazy amazon to do God-knows-what to him, but the old ghoul would know he was faking anyway. He prepared for his fate, straightening his back and placing his hands on his knees. The door flew open, and Shampoo came in, closing the door behind her. "Oh, Ryoga awake! You no wake for long time! Airen feel okay?"

Ryoga let out a nervous laugh. "Uh, yeah, sure! Why wouldn't I?" 'I am such a dead man…'

"Hungry? Shampoo make you good-good food!"

"NO!" Ryoga quickly composed himself. "I mean, no thank you. I'm not really hungry at the moment."

"You hear talking downstairs?" Shampoo tilted her head to one side. Ryoga simply blushed and lowered his head. "It true? You love hammer girl?" After a moment, he nodded. Shampoo scooted closer to him. "Why you love her? Shampoo be much better wife!"

"Look, Shampoo, I never meant to fight you! I'm sorry, I didn't mean it!" Ryoga looked into Shampoo's eyes and saw tears. "I mean…"

"Why people hate Shampoo? Shampoo just want strong husband, like amazon law say. What special about Akane anyway?" The two were silent for a moment. "Really, Shampoo want know. Why everyone want Akane?"

Ryoga debated to himself for a moment if he should respond. It looked like Shampoo really wanted an answer, though, so he decided to relent. "Well, she's kind, and caring. No one had ever shown me kindness before, especially to my… other form."

Tears flowed from Shampoo's eyes now. "But, but Akane only ever see you as pet! Shampoo want marry, it no matter you turn to pig!" She pressed herself against his chest. "Please, just give Shampoo chance. Shampoo promise, can be kinder and better wife! Shampoo make delicious food, stay with you no matter what!"

Ryoga looked deep into her eyes. She looked sincere. "Shampoo…"

"Ryoga…"

"RYOGA!" Mousse burst into the room and weapons flew from his robes. "I won't let you have my Shampoo! I'll defeat you and then marry my prec…" Again, Ryoga's instincts took over, and Mousse went flying through the roof of the restaurant.

Shampoo threw her arms around Ryoga. "Airen! You so strong! Shampoo make good food now?" Ryoga was about to say something, but then is stomach started to growl. Shampoo kissed Ryoga quickly and jumped to her feet. "Shampoo make extra-special ramen! Come with!" She grabbed his hand and led him downstairs. Upon reaching the main restaurant, which was devoid of any customers, he was forcibly, but still sweetly, sat down at one of the tables. "Shampoo be right back, airen!"

Ryoga waited patiently at the table. He had to admit, he was hungry, and some homemade Ramen would be a nice change. He was getting tired of the prepackaged stuff. He wasn't a bad cook, but he needed to have food that would keep, and prepackaged food kept the longest. He also found himself being conflicted. He always wanted a girl to want him for who he was, and now here was Shampoo, a heartbreakingly beautiful girl, literally throwing herself at him. It was a dream come true. While his opinion of Shampoo was never particularly high, his desire for companionship was strong. After all, Ranma had tricked him several times while in his girl form. Ryoga wasn't stupid, but he had been so lonely and depressed for so long that he was willing to give anyone a chance. He had always hoped it would be Akane, but he was willing to give anyone a chance if they claimed to love him. He always knew that he fell in love very easily. He could do without Mousse trying to kill him, though.

Suddenly, a large bowl of hot ramen was placed down in front of him. "Airen, please, you eat food Shampoo make for you!"

Ryoga looked down to the bowl. The smell coming from it was divine, causing his mouth to water instantly. He nodded. "Thank you. It's been so long since I've had a good meal."

Shampoo smiled down to him. "Shampoo make food for you anytime!"

Ryoga took the chopsticks that were set down next to him and broke them apart. He began to tear into the ramen, not realizing how hungry he was until it had all disappeared a few moments later. He set the chopsticks down, and sighed happily. "Mmm, that hit the spot."

Shampoo wrapped her arms around the lost boy, hugging him from behind. "Shampoo glad you like! You want more to eat?"

He shook his head. "No, that was a huge bowl. It was really good, though! Thank you!"

"Anything else Shampoo can do?" She rubbed her cheek against his.

"Well…" Ryoga blushed and touched his fingers together in embarrassment. "There is one thing I'd like to ask, if you don't mind… the next time we eat…"

"Yes? Shampoo do anything!"

His blush darkened. "Um... do you want to eat together?"

Shampoo stopped and felt a blush darken his features as well. "You want eat meals with Shampoo?"

"If… if it's not too much trouble…"

Shampoo remained where she was for a moment, then squeezed Ryoga even tighter. "Aiya! Shampoo so happy! Will eat every meal with airen!"

At that moment, the door burst open, and two very irate looking men stood in the doorway. "Ryoga! How DARE you be that close to my Shampoo!" Mousse screamed.

"It's time we had a rematch, Pig-butt!" Ranma stood at the doorway, right next to Mousse. Both of their battle auras were almost visible due to their anger.

Shampoo stood in between Ryoga and the two men in the doorway. "You no fight in here, but you know you no match for Ryoga. Go home."

Mousse got that make forlorn look on his face, but Ranma smirked arrogantly and stepped forward. "Come on, Shampoo, wouldn't you rather come back to me? I'm WAY better looking than Mr. Pork over there. I'll just beat him and then you can go back to being MY fiancée."

Shampoo let out an 'hmph' and turned her head to the side. "Shampoo have a little respect for self. Ryoga treat Shampoo with love and respect." She faced back to Ranma, anger etched on her face. "Even Mousse better than you, Ranma! Ryoga appreciate Shampoo!"

Mousse looked up to Shampoo, tears in his eyes. "Shampoo? You… you really think I'm better than Ranma?"

"Mousse no get wrong idea. Shampoo still hate weak man." She wrapped her arms around her new fiancée. "Beside, you have to beat Ryoga, and he even stronger than Ranma!"

Ranma fumed at this. "What?! He just got lucky against me! I'll beat him for sure this time!"

Ryoga stood up out of his chair and faced his longtime rival. "If that's the way you feel I'll take you on right now. Let's go outside."

"Aiya! Go Ryoga! Beat Mousse and Ranma!"

The four moved outside. Mousse and Ranma stood on one side of the street, while Ryoga and Shampoo stood on the other side. Ryoga stepped forward. "Alright, which one of you wants to go first?"

Ranma and Mousse looked at each other for a second, and started to laugh. Ranma spoke up first. "I'll go first, I'll beat you easily!" He rushed toward Ryoga and started throwing out his chestnuts roasting over an open fire technique. To his shock, Ryoga managed to dodge most of the attacks, though Ranma did get in a few solid hits. Ryoga, however, threw out a few swift kicks which, due to his monstrous strength, sent Ranma flying away and into a trash heap.

Mousse let out a confident laugh. "Nice work on Ranma. But now your luck ends, because now you face ME!" With his final word, he jumped high into the air and let loose a multitude of weapons and chains toward his opponent.

Ryoga rolled forward and pointed his hands up. "Nice try, but take this! Shishi Hoko Dan!" He let his hands fly toward the human duck, and the energy built forward. He smirked as Mousse looked scared. The energy ball built up, shimmered, and then popped harmlessly. "Huh?" He looked at his hands. "Why didn't it work? Am I not depressed enough?" He looked back to Shampoo as Mousse landed, and smiled. "I'm… I'm not depressed at all! This is fantastic! I'm finally happy! I can move forward with…" At that moment, the water balloons that Mousse threw out hit Ryoga in the face. His clothes crumpled to the floor and P-chan crawled out of them.

Mousse let out a triumphant laugh. "I may not have been as strong as Ryoga, but I can defeat P-chan easily!" He began to laugh again, when he got a face full of pig. "Gah! Get offa me! Get offa me!" He tripped backwards and fell into a puddle on the ground. Suddenly, the pig and the duck were wrestling on the ground.

Ranma pulled himself out of trash heap and stalked toward the two. "You little…" he fumed. "I'll get you…" He started toward the fighting duck and pig, but suddenly stopped and started walking toward Shampoo. He grabbed her shoulders. "Come on, Shampoo. You know I'm better than him."

Shampoo's face scrunched up in disgust and she pinched her nose shut. "Ugh, Ranma smell like garbage! You no stay close to Shampoo!"

"Come on, you know this is just tempor…" A rogue water balloon from duck Mousse hit the two. Instead of boy Ranma holding girl Shampoo, girl Ranma held cat Shampoo. Cat Shampoo let out a small meow. Ranma screamed in terror and ran as fast as she could. Shampoo fell to the ground. She looked over to where Mousse and Ryoga were last, and saw Mousse stuck in another pile of trash, Ryoga on the ground snarling at him.

She walked over to the black pig and nudged him with her wet nose. Ryoga let out a surprised 'bwee' and looked to the pink cat standing next to him. Shampoo gave him a small lick on the cheek and motioned for him to follow her. He blushed, but followed her inside the Cat Café. She led him upstairs and into a room. Looking around the room, he was relieved to see the bathtub, filled with steaming hot water. Ryoga nodded to Shampoo and jumped up on the edge of the tub. He turned around to see if she had turned around to give him some privacy, but was greeted with a face full of cat. She jumped right into him and knocked the two of them into the hot water. He felt his body shift back to his human form, and lifted his head out of the water just in time to see a very naked Shampoo burst from the water as well. He began to sputter and blush madly. "Wha… Shampoo, wha... why did you come into the bath with me?"

The purple-haired girl snuggled up beside Ryoga, pushing her soft breasts against his muscled arm and chest. "Shampoo so happy Ryoga fight! Shampoo want stay like this, want stay next to Ryoga." Thunder sounded outside, and they could hear rain start pounding against the roof.

Ryoga began to softly laugh, delirious and unable to believe what's been happening. He had specifically looked away when any other woman had started to disrobe in front of him, since he was just a pig and she didn't know what she was doing. No one had ever intentionally exposed themselves to him before, save Ranma, but he didn't count. He could feel the trickle of blood down his nose, and judging by shampoos giggle, she had noticed it. He found himself unable to speak at all, only laughing deliriously and nervously as he still tried to make sense of what was going on.

Shampoo let her hands roam over Ryoga's hard chest. "Ryoga in much good shape. It look like Ryoga happy with Shampoo too." She smiled lovingly at him. She moved to snuggle against him, moving one of her legs over his. She waited for him to respond, but he continued to simply lay there in shock. Taking matters into her own hands, she placed her hand against his cheek and turned his head to face her. She pressed her lips to his in a tender kiss.

That sealed the deal and made it real in Ryoga's mind. He was very happy with what was going on, but the pessimist in him was screaming, and he needed to know. He pulled away from Shampoo's kiss and looked into her eyes seriously. "Shampoo, I need to ask you something."

Shampoo nodded, smiling. "Of course! Airen ask Shampoo anything!"

"Well, I hope this doesn't come out wrong, but, well, it just seems like you switched from Ranma to me pretty quickly. Is this just something that's gonna be around until someone defeats me? Are you just being loving to me because I'm the strongest right at the moment?"

Shampoo laid her head against his chest. "Ryoga want truth? Hard for Shampoo to think about."

He nodded. "Please, I respect you and I want you to be happy, and I know that if you're just doing this because I defeated Ranma, then you won't be."

Shampoo stayed silent for a moment. For a minute, Ryoga thought she wasn't going to say anything. Then he heard her take a deep breath. "Shampoo sick of chasing Ranma. Amazon law say Shampoo marry strongest man, but Ranma never give Shampoo time of day. Shampoo sick of it, and was waiting for strong man to defeat Ranma."

"So it could have been anyone?"

Shampoo shook her head vigorously. "No, you only one could do it. Mousse too weak, and others who could defeat Ranma to old or not Shampoo type. Had to be you." She placed a light kiss on his chest. "That why Shampoo run over with bike, and why pick fight today. Shampoo know you win. Shampoo plan for long long time." She looked back up and into Ryoga's dark emerald eyes. "Ryoga may have less sense than cabbage, but is good man who treat woman with respect. Shampoo see how treat Akane and Ukyo. Shampoo jealous we never get to know each other." The two stared at each other for a moment as Ryoga processed the information. Shampoo laid her head back against his chest. "You mad at Shampoo?"

He responded by wrapping his arms around the amazon woman. "No, I'm not mad. I'm actually happier than I've ever been in my entire life." He was still blushing madly, but he decided now was a good time to man up. He placed a kiss on her forehead.

She simply giggled. "Then you no mind marry Shampoo?"

"Well, I'd like to get to know you a bit better, so how about after, well, this, we go out and see a movie or something?"

She held him tighter. "Shampoo love to date with airen. Shampoo never asked to date by man she want before."

The two lay in the bath together for a while, simply enjoying each other's company. After the water started to cool a bit, Ryoga looked down to his new love. "So, what about Mousse? He was the closest thing to a friend I had before, well, this, and now it kinda feels like I betrayed him. I mean, he really loves you."

Shampoo shook her head at this. "Mousse no love Shampoo. Mousse love way Shampoo look. Shampoo hear Mousse complain about way Shampoo treat him. Man who love not put up with that. Mousse deserve woman who love for him. Shampoo not that woman. Shampoo need strong husband, one who not beg and plead for love. Shampoo love strong warrior who accept Shampoo love, not one who follow like puppy." She sighed. "And, honest, Shampoo no attracted to Mousse. Body important to Shampoo. Shampoo see Mousse as handsome man, but not Shampoo type. Mousse find good wife. Maybe we set up with spatula-girl?"

Ryoga couldn't help but laugh at that. "Yeah, that sounds like a plan. But first, why don't we have our date? The water's cooling off, and I'd rather go on a date with a beautiful woman that with a cat."

She giggled at that. "Shampoo understand. Someday, though, we snuggle as cute animal, see what that like?"

"Yeah. That sounds like fun." Ryoga simply beamed. 'I can't believe she likes me for both my forms!' he thought to himself. Pushing himself out of the bathtub, he offered his hand to Shampoo. She blushed and took it, allowing him to help her out of the water. The two quickly dried off and got dressed, Ryoga looking away all the while. They left the Cat Café and started toward downtown, holding hands and snuggling under Ryoga's umbrella.

Cologne simply watched them go. "Ah well." She sighed to herself. "At least he treats her better that Ranma did. I guess I'll have to start training him now."

The End

Don't know what possessed me to write this, I'm a Ryoga/Ukyo shipper. But the idea really just came to me and I had to write it. I hope you liked the story! Don't forget to review! This is really just a one-shot, but I might continue if enough people like it.


	2. Akane's Bad Day

Chapter Two: Akane's Bad Day

"Hey, do you want to go see a movie tonight?"

"Really? Yes!"

Akane was hanging out in her homeroom during first period soaked, muddy, and disheveled, when one of the boys in her class (she didn't know his name right off the top of her head) had approached them and started speaking to her friend Miruko. She did a double-take at her answer. "H… hey! I thought you were gonna help me study for that history test tonight!"

Miruko clapped her hands together and bowed down. "Sorry, can we do that tomorrow?"

"The test is tomorrow!"

She bowed lower. "I'm really sorry!"

This was not how Akane's day had started. It started with her oversleeping, and waking up with only enough time to get dressed and head to school. She had gotten out of bed, taken two steps, and slammed her foot into the side of her desk. Letting out a stream of obscenities, she garnered the attention of her eldest sister, Kasumi, who berated her in her normal motherly fashion for using such language. As soon as she could, she got dressed and found, to her annoyance, that she only had one clean pair of socks left, and one of the socks had been accidentally dyed pink. Rolling her eyes, she rushed out her door in her school uniform, and the hem of her dress got caught on her door handle, ripping a large tear down the side of the skirt. Letting loose even more obscenities, she was again dressed down by Kasumi. Ranma and Nabiki had both already left, so she had to leave for school by herself without being able to brush her teeth, change into a different school uniform, or eat any breakfast. On her way to school it had started to rain, and she realized she forgot to bring not only an umbrella, but also her book bag, so she had no way to shield herself from the rain. When she finally reached school, just before she reached inside, she tripped on a rock and fell directly into a mud puddle. It was at this point that she realized it was just gonna be one of those days.

"But… but who am I gonna study with? I haven't had any chances to study this week, and if I don't get any help today, I'm gonna fail the test!"

Her friend looked at her a little puzzled. "Wait, you wanted help studying for the history test? I thought it was the English test."

"No, it's my history scores that are so low! I really need to pass that exam tomorrow!" Akane had begun to blush, and tears formed in her eyes.

"Um, Akane, honey? The history exam is today, not tomorrow…"

Akane's world shattered. If she failed that exam, there was a good chance she wouldn't be able to move on to the next grade. Everything this morning was just going wrong, and the fact that life seemed to be going so well for everyone else just infuriated her. Her friends were all having fun tonight, and she was looking at academic failure. The only person in the class that seemed to be just as miserable as she was right now was Ranma, who was laying his head on his desk and grumbling to himself. He hadn't said more than two words to her over the past three days, only muttering angrily something about Shampoo and Ryoga. The door to the classroom opened violently, and the teacher came into the classroom. He was an older man, in his late 40's, saying quite loudly "Kids these days, they have no respect…" He surveyed the class. "Akane Tendo! What is the meaning of coming into my class looking like that?"

Akane looked at herself. Her dress was still torn, wet, and muddy. Her hair, she knew, was a mess. She was missing all her books. "I… I was just… I accidentally overslept…"

"Well then maybe you should think about buying an alarm clock while you go stand in the hall!" The teacher pointed to the door, which had the water buckets right next to it.

Tears were actively streaming down Akane's cheeks now, but she didn't utter a sound. She simply stood up, hung her head, walked to the door, grabbed a bucket, and walked out the door. She swore she heard people in the class muttering about her. Turning her head once, she looked to see if Ranma even noticed her leaving. The fact that he didn't even look up should have infuriated her, but it ended up just depressing her more. She grabbed a bucket and stood outside.

The rest of her school day didn't go much better. She was grabbed by Kuno four times during the day, berated for her appearance by every teacher she had, and during gym class she was hit in the face with a soccer ball from behind, stumbled forward, tripped on yet another rock, and twisted her ankle. Her gym teacher, the only person that day who had been anywhere close to understanding and kind to her all day, escorted her to the nurses office where she ended up being left for nearly an hour before a replacement nurse told her nothing was wrong with her and that she needed to get back to class. Changing back into her school uniform, she noted that it was still damp, and she couldn't get it to be comfortable, no matter how much she adjusted it. Walking back to the classroom, limping because of her ankle, she slipped on some water on the floor and landed on her tailbone, causing sharp stabs of pain to rise up her back. She simply lay there in the puddle of water for a moment, not even able to will herself to move. She simply looked up to the ceiling. "Kami, what else can go wrong today?" She couldn't help but think that today was the worst day of her life. Slowly, she got up and walked back to the classroom just in time to take her history test. She couldn't concentrate on it, but she figured it didn't matter, since she didn't know any of the answers anyway. She put down her best guesses, turned it in, and simply zoned everything out until the lunch bell rang, and she realized she forgot to bring her lunch as well.

She vaguely heard Ukyo walk into the classroom and offer some okonomiyaki to Ranma until she heard another sound, almost like Ukyo slipping on the wet floor as well. She took some satisfaction in the idea of someone else getting a little bit of her bad luck, until the okonomiyaki Ukyo was carrying landed right on top of her head, smashing batter, sauce, and shrimp into her hair and all over her clothes. Ukyo, it seemed, managed to catch herself before she fell over. All this, and Ranma hadn't said two words to her. He didn't even notice that she was filthy, injured, and in tears. Ukyo, to her credit, did run up to her uttering apologies, but Akane could barely hear them. She simply slammed her hands down on her desk, stood up, and started walking out the door. She decided that enough was enough, and she was going to go home.

During the long walk, of which she limped the entire way, she could hear the whispers of the people she walked past. She felt so embarrassed. She kept walking, her head hanging low, until she heard a familiar sound. "Bwee?"

She looked up, and saw the most welcome sight she had seen all day. P-chan was standing in the street in front of her, that same bandana around his neck. She started to quickly hobble up to him, calling out his name. "P-chan! Come here, boy!"

The black piglet turned and saw Akane and almost didn't recognize her at first. She was covered in food, mud, and water. She looked like she had been having an especially bad day. He was about to start running over to her, when another hand picked him up and squeezed him into her bosom. "Aiya, Shampoo no can leave you alone for second or you get lost!"

Akane looked at the scene in front of her, and her temper flared. "Shampoo, give me back my pig." She ordered as gently as she could.

Shampoo looked at the dirty girl in front of her. "Akane? What happen you? Why you look like that?"

"Never mind that, give me my pig!" Her fists balled up in anger as she waited for the purple-haired amazon to comply.

The amazon simply let out a 'hmph' and turned away. "Shampoo no want to. 'P-chan' with Shampoo now."

"I'm warning you, Shampoo, GIVE HIM BACK!" Akane's anger was almost visible around her as her arms shook with rage.

Shampoo turned to look back at the fuming girl. "Why not let him choose who we want be with."

"Fine with me." P-chan was put on the ground, and Shampoo backed away. Both girls kneeled down and started calling for him in sweet, honeyed voices. "Come on, P-chan, who's a good little piggy…"

"Shampoo want you be happy, Shampoo make happy."

"We'll go home and get all cleaned up, and then we'll play."

"Shampoo love you for who you are. Please come Shampoo."

P-chan looked extremely conflicted for a moment. After a moment, he closed his eyes, gave Akane a look that could only be described as 'I'm sorry', and bounded into Shampoo's waiting arms. Shampoo looked at the girl before her with triumph, but also understanding in her eyes. "Akane, you go home. Take hot bath. You feel better after one."

As the two walked away, a fresh batch of tears came out of her eyes. "Why? Why did P-chan go to Shampoo?" She stayed there, knees on the cold, hard concrete, for a long time. Again, without much warning, it started to rain again. The weather had been strange, raining on and off all day. When her clothes and hair were thoroughly soaked again, she finally stood up, and continued to limp home. It took her the better part of an hour, but she finally made it inside her home.

She heard someone approach. "I wonder who it could be at this hour…" As soon as Kasumi turned the corner and saw Akane, she let out a gasp and dropped the ladle she was holding. "Oh, my, what happened Akane?"

The short-haired girl, only stopping for a moment, simply walked past her older sister. "I'm going to take a bath." She walked through the house until she reached the bath, took off her clothes, and turned on the water to begin washing herself off. The water was ice cold, but she was already soaked, so she decided to start rinsing herself off before the shower warmed up. After a few minutes getting all the dirt and grime off of her, she noticed that the water wasn't heating up.

Just as she came to that realization, she heard a knock on the door. "Akane," Kasumi started, "I think the hot water heater broke this morning. The repairmen won't be by for another hour or so."

Akane let out a grunt of acknowledgement, and washed the last of the dirt off of her with soap and the icy water. She wrapped a towel around herself and walked out of the bath and to her room, tripping on a small pile of underwear that Happosai had apparently left out. She fell down face first and heard a crunch as her face impacted with the floor. Pain exploded from her nose, and she felt copious amounts of liquid coming out of it. When she picked herself up, she saw a small pool of blood forming under her. She pinched her nose to stop the bleeding and went into her room. She put a bandage on her nose to keep it pinched, got dressed, and went into the hallway to clean up the blood.

Over the next could of hours, Akane decided to simply sit and do nothing. Nothing good seemed to be happening the entire day, and she simply ignored all the questions from her father and oldest sister about why she was home from school so early. She simply sat until the hot water was fixed, and at the same time, Ranma and Nabiki walked in the door. Ranma appeared to still be grumbling about whatever it was that was making him miserable, but Nabiki approached her immediately. "Hey Akane. I heard about everything that happened at school today. Are you okay?"

Akane simply looked up to her sister, the only thing on her face being exhaustion and weariness. "I don't wanna talk about it." With that, she slowly stood up, and started walking out of the room, intendant on going to her room. Her ankle was feeling a little better, but she still walked with a limp. Right as she started to move through the door, Ranma rushed through, and the two collided, knocking both of them down. Akane landed on her tailbone again, causing another stab of pain to shoot up her spine. "Hey! Can't you watch where you're going?"

Ranma appeared to shake out of his melodramatic mood at her words. "Hey, it wouldn't have happened if you didn't take up the entire doorway!"

Rage began to fill her as she realized that her arranged fiancée had just called her fat. "You're saying this is my fault? You came running through the door, not looking where you're going, and this is my fault?"

"Yes it's your fault! I don't know how anyone likes an uncute tomboy like you!" He got onto his feet and specifically did not help Akane up. "You're just always in the way! You can't cook, you're violent, you're built like a brick…"

Akane's hand flew on its own, finding Ranma's face with a loud smack. "Shut up! Why do you have to be so selfish? Can't you care a little bit about what's happening to the people around you?"

His hand came up to cradle his face. "OW!" He looked at the violent girl with hate in his eyes. "Why should I care about you? All you do is blame me for everything and hit me! I don't want anything to do with you!"

"Well that's fine, because I don't want anything to do with you either! If you think I'll marry you, then you're stupider than you look!"

"I never wanted to marry you! Who would want to? You'd have to get some especially sorry case to want to get together with you! You hate men, so he'd have to look like a girl, you can't cook so he'd have to be able to cook, and he'd have to find someone like you attractive, which is a tall order itself!"

"Well maybe I will find a guy like that! Anyone would be better than you!" Akane was again in tears, wishing for this day to just end. "In fact, I'll pray to the gods right now for a guy better than you! It shouldn't be too hard for them!"

Soun, horrified by this display along with the rest of the family, tried to get between the two. "Now, now, I think everyone's just had a bad day. If we sit down and talk it over…"

Ranma continued with his onslaught, yelling at the girl in front of him. "Yeah, that's a great idea! Pray to the gods for a better man! I'm sure they'll just drop the perfect guy out of the sky for you!"

As if on queue, everyone heard a loud crash from the roof, and something rolling down toward the yard, and finally a figure dressed all in white fell from the roof and onto the ground. Everyone was stunned for a moment until Akane willed herself to move. She approached the figure, seeing a white robe and feathers. 'an angel?' she thought to herself. She kneeled down and brought the figure into her lap. As she turned the robed, black-haired figure over, she saw a familiar face. The feathers that she saw fell out of his sleeves as fake duck wings the man used as weapons. He appeared barely conscious. "Mousse?"

His eyes fluttered open halfway. "A… Akane Tendo?" His eyes closed, and his head dropped to the side.

"Oh my." Kasumi was the only person that was able to utter a sound at what just happened.

Without a word, Akane struggled to pick up the Chinese man and brought him inside. She only said something when Ranma tried to help her carry him. "Leave me alone, Ranma. I got this. Just stay away from me." She brought him into a family room inside the house, and laid out a futon. Placing him on it, she grabbed some medical supplies, a towel, and a bowl of water. Wetting the towel and placing it on his forehead, she began checking him out for injuries. Fortunately, he only seemed to have a couple of scrapes, which he disinfected and bandaged up. As she finished applying the bandages to his face and neck, the duck boy started to wake up. Akane gave him a smile, though it had a weary look to it. "Hey Mousse."

He blinked a couple of times. "Akane Tendo? What are you doing here?"

"Um, I live here."

Mouse rubbed his eyes, then grabbed a pair of glasses from his robes and put them on. He looked around. "Where am I?"

"You landed at my house." She started putting the medical supplies back into their case. "I don't know how you got here, though. You just landed on the roof."

Mousse sat up and held his head, seeming to have a headache. "Oh, yeah. I think I remember what happened. Shampoo was trying to set me up with that one girl, the one with all the spatulas. She pushed me toward her, and she swung that huge spatula at me, and then, well, here I am."

"Shampoo was trying to set you up with Ukyo?" Akane's eyebrows raised at this news. This was not something she was expecting. "What's making her act so weird?"

"Well, she's given up on Ranma and started dating Ryoga." Mousse put extra venom in the last man's name. "After all my years of trying to show her how much I love her, she just moves on to yet another guy. What's wrong with me?"

The short haired girl looked at Mousse with compassion. She also couldn't hide her disdain for the Chinese girl he was so fond of, especially after today. "Mousse, do you want my opinion?" He simply turned his head for their eyes to meet. "I think you're way too good for Shampoo. You're kind and caring, you don't want to hurt anyone, I mean, even when you kidnapped me, you showed that you weren't going to actually hurt me."

Mousse looked down in shame at that. "I'm still really sorry about that. I should never have used you like that."

Akane shrugged. "Hey, ancient history. Besides, love makes you do crazy things, am I right?"

"I guess." They looked at each other again. "Are you okay?" he asked, looking her over. "You look really worn out."

"Oh, it's nothing. Just had a bad day."

"You have another fight with Ranma?"

Her head turned to the side, weariness replaced with anger. "He can just be so… so…"

She turned back to Mousse, startled, when he put his hand on her shoulder. "Do you want my opinion?" he asked. She hesitated for a second before nodding. Mousse continued. "I think you're way too good for Ranma. He doesn't treat you with respect, you're also kind and caring, as we can see," he gestured to his bandages, "and you deserve to be with someone who makes you happy."

Her eyes closed and her head dropped. "I just want to be in control of my own destiny. I don't want to be told what to do anymore."

"What do you mean?"

She shook her head. "The only reason that stupid pervert is my fiancée is because my parents decided he would be. I certainly didn't want him."

"Well, then, maybe you should simply refuse to take part and date who you want to date." Mousse suddenly looked away. "I mean, I don't want to tell you what to do, and it's not really my place to even give you suggestions…"

"It's okay. I'm glad SOMEONE is finally listening to what I want." She took his hand into hers, squeezing it gently. The two smiled at each other. "But I wasn't joking when I said that you deserve better than Shampoo. She's always treated you like dirt, and you're a really sweet guy. You deserve a girl who likes you for who you are."

"But all my life, I've only ever chased after Shampoo. I don't even know where to begin."

"Well, maybe start with just making some friends. You know people here, you can make all kinds of friends, I'm sure of it."

Mousse looked into Akane's eyes again, and blushed a little. "Well, how about you? Would you want to be my friend?"

She let out a giggle. "Mousse, I already am your friend. I'll do whatever I can to help you."

The boy with the long black hair smiled back at her. "Really? We're friends? What do friends do with each other?"

"Well, they spend time together, hang out, stuff like that!" An idea formed in Akane's mind. "Hey, we should hang out! There's an arcade opening up in town, do you want to check it out?"

"What, right now?"

Another giggle came from the youngest Tendo sister. "No, I was thinking tomorrow. I think we both need to rest up from today. But I'll meet you there after school?"

"Ah, sure! It would do me good to spend less time around Shampoo and that pig."

"Ryoga's not that bad of a guy, he's always been nice to me…"

Mousse looked at his new friend, confused. "What, no, I was talking about his cursed form."

Akane blinked. "His what now?"

"His cursed form. Shampoo was all like 'a pig and a cat make a cute couple' and all that."

Realization suddenly came over her face, and she went pale. All the times P-chan got nosebleeds, turning away whenever she got undressed, being scared of hot water, everything. "P-chan… is Ryoga… Ryoga… is P-chan…"

Mousse blinked a couple of times until he also realized what was going on. "Oh, oh no. You didn't know?" He watched her slowly get angrier and angrier. "I'm sorry, I thought you knew…"

Akane's blue battle aura exploded out of her. "I'm… I'm gonna KILL HIM!" Akane's subconscious decided at that point to stop asking how much worse things could get. Now she had a murder to plan out.

Mousse, it seems, needed to put the final nail in the coffin. "I'm surprised Ranma didn't tell you, since he kept using his pig form against him…"

Akane, fire in her eyes and fists balled, shook with rage. "Ranma knew about it, and he never told me?" The scenes of him becoming jealous of the little black piglet suddenly made more sense.

"Whoa, calm down Akane." Mousse tried to get between her and the door. "If you want, I can help come up with a plan. We can figure out exactly how to make sure that you get satisfaction."

That helped Akane calm down a little. Not shaking quite so badly, she allowed herself to relax a little. "I'd… I'd like that." She looked back into the magician's eyes. "Mousse, why are you being so nice to me?"

He shrugged. "Well, I've never had anyone actually want to be friends with me before. Back in my village, I was just the stupid blind boy. Coming here, you're the first one to really show me kindness."

She couldn't help but smile at that, despite the anger inside her. "Well, I'm still really angry about being lied to by those… those jerks."

"Well, don't worry so much, we'll get them all back. And we'll do it in ways that'll be sure to show them all the humiliation they put us through."

The two smiled evilly at each other, both sensing this as the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

To Be Continued?

Well, I've gotten some pretty powerful reviews on this story so far. Let's go through some of them!

To Ryo-chan wolfgirl, VinnyM 787, and RyogaxUkyo fan: Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you liked the story! It was your guys that made me want to continue it!

To Richard Ryley and own son: Thanks for the criticism! Yeah, I wasn't all that happy with the initial set-up either. Never cared for the 'ryoga wins because shut-up he does', but I was kinda rushing, to be honest. I'll do better next time. I appreciate the feedback. It'll help me to become a better writer.

To Ashar and guest(s): Thanks for the flames! You haven't really made it on until you get flamed, so now I know I've hit the bigtime! Thanks for your input, since I know that if my story can inspire so much emotion that someone feels they need to leave several different reviews flaming me and pretending to be different people, then I have succeeded. So thanks!

I don't know if I'll leave it at that or if I'll keep going, but MAN this story has been popular. 14 reviews after one week! That's crazy! Anyway, love ya' all!


	3. Dating Is Supposed To Be Fun

Chapter Three: Dating Is Supposed To Be Fun

"Ryoga... you get chocolate all over mouth! You look like little kid!" Shampoo laughed out, holding her sides from laughing at the ridiculous display in front of her.

"What? It's a big piece of cake! It's not like I'm used to eating things like this!" Ryoga tried to sound hurt, but he just couldn't bring himself to. He was simply enjoying time with Shampoo, enjoying time with a girl for possibly the first real time in his life. The two had only been going out for a couple of weeks, but the lost boy had found himself actually letting go of everything that happened in his past. His cursed form didn't bother him nearly as much as it used to, especially since when he did become a pig, Shampoo would go out of her way to snuggle with him as a cat (and her fur was _so soft…_), and despite his supernaturally bad sense of direction, he had only really gotten good and lost one time in the past two weeks. It didn't even mater than he was lost for four days. Taking a napkin and wiping off his mouth, he smiled at the beautiful woman in front of him. She was wearing a silky gold and blue Chinese dress and wore only slightly more makeup than usual. Ryoga decided she didn't need makeup at all. "I have to say, I was a little worried when you recommended this place. I'm not usually into sweets, but I'm really glad we came."

The amazon smiled. "Shampoo glad you like." She took another bite of the parfait in front of her. "Shampoo owe business, since crash through wall first time in Japan."

Ryoga tried to keep a straight face. He noticed the back wall, slightly discolored from the rest of the shop. His straight face failed as he cracked up. "So THAT explains the look on the owner's face when you came in…" He took another, albeit smaller, bite of his cake, and locked eyes with his date again. She looked happy, but slightly preoccupied. "What's wrong?"

Startled a bit, Shampoo quickly took another bit of parfait, bringing a piece of peach into her mouth and quickly swallowing it. "To be honest, Shampoo not know what to do."

"About what?"

She fidgeted around for a moment. "Shampoo always chase man. Never have man before. Used to chasing. Not know what to do now that chase over."

One of Ryoga's eyebrows raised. "You… want to chase me some more?"

A worried look crossed her face as she quickly shook her head. "No! Shampoo very happy with airen! Just not know what to do after catching." She caught the confused look on his face. "Shampoo love to date, but what come next? What we do after date?"

"Tonight?" he asked. "Tonight, I thought we'd just cuddle a little bit. Found this movie when I was lost in Hokkaido last week, it got REALLY hot up there for this time of year, that I thought you might like it."

Shampoo shook her head again. "No, not what Shampoo mean. What next step for us? Is engagement party, or just sex?"

Ryoga decided that was the exact wrong moment to eat another piece of cake, as he began choking on it. He dropped his fork and started pounding a fist against his chest to dislodge the moist chocolaty goodness from his throat. Shampoo let out a squeak and jumped up, thrusting her palm into her boyfriend's solar plexus. Before she could ask if he was alright, Ryoga let out a choked question. "What?" The blush on his face showed he had understood exactly what Shampoo had said.

"Shampoo just want know what next step should be." she continued as though nothing had happened, though with much more concern in her voice. "Shampoo not think ready for either. Want enjoy time with Ryoga."

The boy in the bandana quickly took a large gulp of milk, spilling a little bit on his cutoff sleeveless black shirt. Putting the glass down, he put a hand on Shampoo's shoulder. "Yeah, I think that's a good call. Maybe, well, maybe we shouldn't worry about what the next step is. Maybe we should enjoy ourselves until we're both ready to move forward."

The beautiful Chinese girl before him blinked. "But… amazon warrior always have goal. Great-grandmother say that there is always reason for being with man." She slowly sat back down. "Shampoo want to make great-grandmother happy. Want to be great warrior." Her eyes fell a little bit.

Ryoga noticed. "Hey, I don't plan on going anywhere. But tell me, what do _you_ want?"

Her eyes came back up and met his dark green ones filled with concern. His black hair, even above his bandana, falling just above his eyes and his mouth slightly open revealing his cute fangs that she found herself finding so adorable. She found herself tearing up a little. "Shampoo… Shampoo want spend time with Ryoga. Want not force anything and have fun for now. Want let future come when it time."

He stood up out of his seat and moved over to the purple haired beauty. "Sounds like a plan to me." He held his arm out to her. "Well, I don't know about you, but I think I've had enough cake. You?"

She looked at her desert, and there was almost none of it left. She took the spoon, brought out the last cherry, and popped it into her mouth right in front of him. "Okay, now Shampoo done." The two walked out of the shop hand in hand.

The shop owner called out to the two as they exited his shop into the starry night. "Thanks for not breaking anything this time!" The sarcasm in his voice was evident.

Shampoo waved back to him, seemingly oblivious. "Welcome!"

Ryoga looked back to the shop, then back to the woman on his arm. "Wow. He was rude."

"Shampoo not worried. If he real man, he protect shop instead of throwing insult." She had to stop and look at her boyfriend as the arm she was holding stopped moving. She cocked her head inquisitively. "Airen?"

He simply smiled at her. "That's, honestly, one of the most mature things I've ever heard anyone say." He moved closer to her and brought her into his arms, squeezing her softly. "I'm glad you don't let what other people say get to you."

The two remained like that for a moment, but then started walking again. By this point, Shampoo knew where Ryoga's house was, so she led the two on the way there. She knew better than to follow him, the last time they ended up in Shinjuku. Suddenly, she remembered something. "Oh, Shampoo see something interesting! Remember what happen to Mousse?"

The memory flew into the lost boy's mind. How could he forget? He felt really bad about it. The two of them had brought Mousse to Ucchan's and, in an attempt to instigate a bit of romantic comedy, gave him a small push toward the owner of the restaurant. Both of them had forgotten their strength, so he stumbled forward, landing face first right in Ukyo's chest. She screamed, took out her spatula, and smacked the blind boy out of the restaurant and seemingly into orbit. They never figured out where he landed. "Yeah. THAT was not our best idea."

"No, Shampoo feel a little bad. But Mousse land in Tendo Dojo! Make friends with Akane!"

"Really?"

"Shampoo see together with group of people laughing yesterday. So plan not go completely wrong."

"They're friendly with each other?" He couldn't keep the concern out of his voice.

Shampoo seemed to see this. "Ryoga not jealous, right?"

"No! It's just… old feelings, you know. Like if you saw Ranma with someone else being all… friendly."

Her face dropped. "Yeah. But they seem be just friend. No touching, only friendly smiles. Still, they not be bad match."

Ryoga felt a little hurt about that, but tried his best to bury it. After all, he had a girlfriend who seemed to really care about him. He should want Akane to be with someone who liked her. He tried to look at it objectively. He failed. "How could you say that?"

Shampoo quickly jumped in front of him, shoving him gently. "ARE jealous!"

"NO! I'm not! Really!" he brought his hands up defensively. "I just, well, I still care about her. I want to be with you, but I still care about her. Even if she doesn't seem to like me anymore."

Shampoo gave him a concerned look. "What make you think Akane no like you anymore?"

"Well, I ran into her a couple of days ago. I tried to say hi, just a friendly hi, but she just gave me this glare. It was ice cold, and then she just walked away. It was actually kind of creepy. I don't even know what I did."

Her arms dropped to her sides from her shove and she leaned against his chest. "Ryoga, you no worry about that. Akane forget, and no matter what, Shampoo be here for you." She stayed there for a second before feeling his muscular arms wrap around her in a tight hug and his soft, warm lips pressing against her forehead. "Besides, Mousse and Akane _are_ good match. Akane hate pushy boy, right? Mousse very girl-like, and not be pushy. Mousse give up easy at first, seems like what Akane really want. But when she need, Mousse be strong."

"So, you're saying we should try to get the two of them together?"

Her head shook against the crook of his neck. "No, Shampoo want focus on _this_. Us most important to Shampoo."

He pushed her just far away enough to look into her eyes, then placed a kiss on her lips. It was quick and chaste, but still sent a current through them both. "I can definitely agree with that." The two held each other for a moment, until the both of them heard a loud woman's voice coming toward them.

"RYOGA! What are you doing!" The two looked at the approaching girl. Her long red hair flowed behind her and she wore a simple sundress, completely out of place for a spring night. Her fists were balled, and she looked furious. "What are you doing with this girl?!"

Ryoga looked dumbfounded. "What? What are you talking about? Who are you?"

Without warning, the girl brought her hands to her mouth, tears brimming in her eyes. "You mean you don't remember your own fiancée? How could you? And with someone like _her_!" She accusingly pointed at Shampoo. "Don't I matter to you anymore?"

Shampoo started to become angry, but then stopped. She moved in closer to the girl, studying her, then backed up, eyes widening, and dropping her fist into an open palm. "Ah. Shampoo see." She turned toward Ryoga, placing a single hand on her shoulder. "You no move. Shampoo be right back." With that, she jumped out of reach and started running. Ryoga had no idea in what direction.

The girl watched Shampoo go, and grinned. She turned toward the muscular boy in front of her and threw her arms around him. "Oh, Ryoga, now that she's gone…"

Ryoga quickly, but gently, pushed the girl away from him, keeping her at an arm's length. "Whoa, hold on, I don't even know who you are!"

"I'm your fiancée, silly! Our parents decided it a long time ago, but I've been waiting for so long to see you again. We haven't seen each other for years! You just keep getting lost, but I understand." She tried to get around Ryoga's arms, the two engaging in an awkward dance for a few moments. "Ryoga… why won't you let me close?"

"I just can't!" He kept trying to dodge out of her way, keeping her away, making sure on only keep his hands near her shoulders.

"But I traveled so long and so far just to see you!" Continuing to try to move around Ryoga's arms, the red head bobbed and weaved around, but couldn't seem to find an opening. "It's been so long, I won't go away now!"

The dance continued for at least a minute. Finally, he grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to stand still. "Listen. I'm sorry about all this, but I don't know you. I really don't remember anything that's happened, but that girl I was with, I made a promise to her. It's not something my parents decided, but what I decided. She's the one I'm with right now, and I'm happy with her." His head lowered, showing he was conflicted about breaking a girl's heart. He resolved himself. 'Shampoo's worth it.' "I can't… I won't give her up, and I won't break my word to her."

Another hand appeared on Ryoga's shoulder. Shampoo simply looked at him with tears in her eyes. "You… you mean what you say?"

His arms dropped to his side, leaving the girl standing there with a dumbfounded look on her face. "I meant every word." He looked back to the girl. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you, but I have to be honest."

"No worry, Ryoga." Shampoo smiled as she lifted her other hand and poured the hot water out of the tea kettle onto the girl. Her form grew larger and her hair turned black. She also turned into a terrified boy. "It just Ranma."

The super strong man slowly looked over to his worst enemy, his fists balling and anger crackling around him. "Ranmaaa….."

The pigtailed boy raised his hands up defensively. "Now hold on Ryoga, just calm down for a second…"

"Ranma, you JERK!" In no time at all, boy Ranma wearing a sundress went flying through the air, Ryoga's fist pointed up from where he had been launched.

Shampoo jumped onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Ryoga, you so strong!" She nuzzled against his cheek. "But, you maybe check eyesight. Once Shampoo get good look, it easy to see it Ranma."

His hand found its way behind his head as he awkwardly laughed and blushed. "Yeah, I guess I just don't pay that much attention to what people look like."

"It okay." She moved away, allowing her hand to travel down him arm until it rested in his hand. She started pulling min back down the road toward his house. "Shampoo no mind. Shampoo be here if Ranma come back as girl."

Ryoga noticed a glint of depression on Shampoo's face. He cupped her face and turned her to face him. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"It nothing." She kept looking to the ground. "It just… Shampoo want look pretty for you. You say Shampoo look pretty, but not care about what people look like?" Before he could respond, she shook her head and forced herself to look into his eyes and smile. "No, it no matter. Shampoo being selfish. Want make Ryoga happy…"

She couldn't say any more as Ryoga quickly closed the distance and pressed his lips to hers. She paused in surprise as Ryoga pushed his tongue against her mouth. He had never been this bold before. After a moment of hesitation, she opened her mouth to let him in, letting her tongue dance with his. They stayed in each other's arms, kissing passionately, ignoring the hushed whispers of the people walking around them. It was fairly late, but there were still a few people on the road. Finally the two broke when the need for air became an issue. Their cheeks were painted red and their breath came in heavy pants. They simply stared into each other's eyes for a moment. Ryoga finally broke the silence. "Shampoo, I definitely notice you. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. More beautiful than anyone Ranma pretends to be. More beautiful than any of the girls I've met in my travels. More beautiful than Akane."

Shampoo blushed deeper, her cheeks nearly turning purple. "Ryoga mean that?"

His eyes closed halfway. "Every word." He pressed his lips to her again. This time, there was no hesitation from her in returning the kiss.

A little shorter of a chapter, but still, I thought it was cute.

Again, I'd like to thank everyone who's reviewing! I'm really blown away by the number of reviews this story's gotten over the period of not even two weeks! I love all you guys!

To TMH: I know, right? And don't worry, I'm not.

To Ryo-chan wolfgirl: Thanks for the awesome feedback! I'm glad you like it so far, and I'm glad for the suggestions. Honestly, I have no idea what form this story will take (though there are a couple things I want to make happen in the near future, you'll see…), so when I read your suggestion about Ranma disguising himself, I was all like "Hey! He's done that! That's a great idea!" So yeah, this chapter's dedicated to you!

To RyogaxUkyo fan: I'm glad you like the story so far! Yeah, I was pretty hard on Akane, but that was kinda the point. The point was for those 'unforeseen consequences' for Ryoga beating Ranma. Akane has this truly horrible day where everything does wrong. At the end of it, when she REALLY needs Ranma to be there, he's not, allowing her to finally wash her hands of him. Sometimes, everyone just has a day like that. Don't worry, though, I'm gonna be nicer to Akane in the future. I think. Also, don't worry about 'sucker guest' as people are now calling him. I'm not even joking when I say I find him hilarious with all his pretending to be multiple people. He's the main reason I'm really continuing this story. I kinda wanna see where he goes with this. He's gone to an awful lot of trouble to find out a lot about me, even reading reviews I've given on other stories, just to try to get under my skin. Whenever I see one of his reviews, I start giggling like a madman with a box, and there is something of which you can be certain, for one day your life may depend on it. I am definitely a madman with a box.


	4. The New Fiancée

Chapter Four: The New Fiancée

The people in the house were stunned. No one could move or look away at the train wreck that unfolded in front of them. Kasumi, Nabiki, Genma, and Mousse all sat in the living room simply watching the horrible display between father and daughter.

"I'm not marrying that jerk, I don't care what you say!" Akane screamed. "If you try to make me, I'll run away! You'll never see me again!" Her face was flushed with anger as she yelled at her father.

"Akane, be reasonable!" Soun pleaded. "I just want what's best for you! If you don't, the dojo dies with Genma and me!"

"You're not doing this for me! It's never been about me! It's always been about your stupid dojo! Well maybe I don't care about that anymore! Maybe I want to be with someone who actually treats me with a little respect!"

"Please! This whole family has worked so hard for this dojo, we've sacrificed so much! You love this dojo too, I know you do!"

"Not as much as I want to make my own decisions about life! I can always build another dojo! And I'll do it with someone who loves me, not with some arrogant jerk you picked before I was born!"

Soun looked horrified for a moment, but then straightened his back and looked into his daughter's eyes. "Akane, I am your father, and you will do as I say."

His attempt to turn the tables using authority failed. Akane simply stared at him for a moment, her face becoming even redder from anger. Instead of answering, just stomped to the spectators, grabbed Mousse's hand, and started dragging him toward the front door. "Come on, Mousse. I don't want to hear any of this anymore. I'm done with all of this."

Mousse didn't even have a chance to say anything other than "What… Akane…" before he was fully dragged out of the house and into the street. He didn't know how, but she had even managed to grab both of their pairs of shoes. She stopped just outside of the front gate of the house so they could get their shoes on. Her breaths came out in heavy, sharp gasps. "I can't believe him! He can't just decide my fate like that. I won't do it. I won't!"

Mousse caught his breath as he finished putting on his shoes. "Akane, hold up a sec." He took a deep breath, calming his own heart rate, and stood up tall. "I'm sure he'll come around. I mean, he's your father. He can't really force you to marry someone you don't want, right?"

"I don't know." Her face was returning to a more normal color, and she simply sounded exhausted. "They've been trying to force me to accept the engagement for almost two years now. Seriously, I'm about to graduate from high school, and I'm sure they planned the wedding to happen same day!" 'At least I HOPE I'm graduating this year' she thought grimily to herself.

Mousse shook his head. "Well, if push comes to shove, we'll find a way to get you out of it." He flashed her a cute boyish grin. "I promise."

Akane stood up, still a little out of breath, and giggled at the face Mousse was making. "Thanks, Mousse." She looked over his features. He really was attractive; it was beyond her how Shampoo could overlook her new friend. "I'm glad we became friends."

"Me too. But I also think that a marriage should be between two people who actually WANT to get married. I don't think it should ever be forced. So I'll help you in any way I can so you can marry the guy you want rather than that… Saotome." His face contorted a bit when he said Ranma's last name as though it was some kind of curse word. "Not just because I'm your friend, but because it's the right thing to do."

The two smiled at each other for a moment before her stomach let out a whine. She looked down at herself and let out a nervous laugh. "Heh. So, you wanna get something to eat? I don't know about you, but that much yelling makes me hungry."

The boy in the glasses chuckled. "Yeah, I could eat. Lead the way."

The two started walking into town, Akane not looking around but going to what seemed like a very specific place. "So, are you still trying to go after Shampoo?" she asked after the two had been walking for a few minutes.

Mousse hesitated to answer. "Eh, I don't really know anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, she and Ryoga really do look happy together, he treats her well, and, as much as it bothers me, she really treats him well too. It's like they were what was supposed to happen in the first place."

Akane stopped to look at her friend. "And… you're okay with that?"

"Hell no!" The duck boy couldn't keep the righteous indignation out of his voice. "I chased after Shampoo for years, and this pig just waltzes into her life and she's won over? It's even worse than when she was chasing Ranma! At least she wanted to kill him first. But no, Ryoga's so perfect! Ryoga's so strong! It's not right, it's not fair!"

"Mousse…" Concern laced her voice.

"I'm… I'm sorry. I'm trying to get over her, you know, let her go, it's just so hard. I've spent so long loving her, I don't really know what to do with myself."

Akane thought for a second, and then decided it was time to ask the hard questions. "So, what was it about her you loved?"

Mousse blinked for a second. "What?"

"Why did you love her? What drew you to her?"

Mousse was taken aback by the question. He always knew why he loved her. He never tried to put it into words before. "Well, she's beautiful... and strong…"

"Yeah, go on…"

"And… uh…" He began to really think about it. What was it about Shampoo he loved so much? Now that he was trying to put it into actual words and coherent thought, nothing was coming to him. "I mean, well…"

"Come on, what was it about her personality that you loved?"

He faltered. He couldn't think of a single part of her demeanor that he liked. She had always treated him poorly. They were friends while they were kids, but she kept pushing him around as soon as he first declared his love. He came to a stark realization in himself. "I… I don't really like anything about her now."

"So, do you actually love her?" Akane wore a smirk that said 'I am so smart'.

Mousse's head fell. "Yes. I do."

Akane did a double take. "What?"

"I don't like how she treated me, but we were always friends in China, ever since we were children. I can't really remember her soft side, the times she was vulnerable, or kind, or afraid, it was so long ago, but I do know that we had those times when we were children. I still love Shampoo for the friend I had in China. But the woman she is now? Well, she's seems to go out of her way to treat me like dirt, so I can't say I love that." He looked back up into Akane's eyes. "There were times where it was just like this with Shampoo and me. Like what we're doing right now, just two friends, going out and doing stuff. Shampoo and I used to be just like that. I miss that. The fact that it doesn't happen anymore breaks my heart." He gave her a soft smile. "I hope this doesn't sound too sappy, but it's one of the reasons why I'm glad we became friends. Being friends with you has made it easier to accept what's happened in my past."

Akane could only stare at him for a moment, having stopped in her tracks. "Mousse… That is probably the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me."

He shrugged. "I guess it doesn't hurt that it's true then, right?"

She couldn't contain her giggle. "Seriously, I do NOT understand how Shampoo could have treated you like that. You really are just the sweetest guy." She looked up and saw her desired destination. "Oh, we're here!"

Mousse looked up to the restaurant sign they stopped in front of and broke into a cold sweat. Ucchan's Okonomiyaki. "Oh. Oh no. I can't go in there." He started to back away from the entrance.

Akane grabbed his sleeve and started dragging him toward the door. "Oh, come on, it's been weeks since you landed on our roof. I'm sure that Ukyo's forgotten all about that by now! Besides, I'm hungry, and okonomiyaki's the only cure!"

He groaned as she laughed. "Ugh, Akane, that was _terrible_!"

She managed to get him inside the restaurant after a moment of half-hearted struggle. Ukyo looked up from her grill. "Welcome to Ucchan's! What can I make for… Mousse?!" She jumped over the grill and ran toward the man in the white Chinese robes.

He instantly turned around and started to run out the door. "Nope! That's not me! That's someone el…" he ran face first into the door frame.

Ukyo caught up with him easily. "Mousse, wait! I'm not gonna hit you!" She stopped in front of him as he stood up. "I'm really glad you came in, actually. I've been looking for you since, well, since the last time…"

Mousse straightened up, his back against the doorframe he had just crashed into. "You're… not… gonna hit me?"

"No!" She let her face fall forward, her bangs partially covering her face. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry. I'm really sorry for hitting you like that."

He was frozen for a second. "You mean you're not mad at me?"

The okonomiyaki chef looked up into his eyes. "Of course not! I was right there. I saw them push you. It's just… when you landed on me, I, well, I kinda freaked out." She blushed a little in embarrassment. "They felt really bad about it right afterward too, but… I'm just so sorry! I know you didn't do anything to deserve that."

"Oh." Mousse had been expecting almost anything else but an apology when he saw the cute cook again. "Well, I mean, no problem. I spent so long with Shampoo hitting me, I can take the punishment."

"Well, at least let me make you some lunch to make up for it. I really feel awful about it. Both of your lunches are on me today."

Akane watched the scene unfold, a bit flabbergasted. As soon as she finally registered what was going on, she smiled at her one time rival. "Uh, sure, I won't say no to free food."

Ukyo led the two to the bar and walked back behind her grill, dropping two ladles of batter to begin sizzling. "And sorry about ignoring you for a second, Akane. I just really needed to make sure to say what I needed to say before he disappeared."

"Oh, its okay, I understand."

She started putting cabbage and other vegetables into the batter on the grill. "So, I haven't seen Ran-chan for a while. Is everything okay with him?"

Akane's mood soured at the very mention of Ranma. Mousse, on the other hand, spoke casually. "Yeah, he's not doing so hot. Akane just broke off the engagement for good."

That got Ukyo's attention. "What? Really?"

Akane made a sound of annoyance. "Yeah. Who would want that jerk anyway?"

"Eh heh heh… yeah. Who would?" The chef let a small blush form on her face. "I guess it's just down to Shampoo and me, then?"

Now it was Mousse's turn to sound annoyed. "No, Shampoo actually broke it off with him too to get together with Ryoga."

Akane and Mousse never thought they would hear it, but they couldn't find another word to describe what happened next. Ukyo let out a squee. She squeed. The two simply looked at her, surprise and confusion on each of their faces. Ukyo, on the other hand, had a dreamy look plastered on hers, as though all her dreams had just come true. "Ran-chan only has one fiancée left, and it's me?"

Akane suddenly remembered that the chef in front of her was also engaged to Ranma. "Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. Yeah, he's all yours."

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"What are we going to do, Saotome?" Soun Tendo couldn't keep his tears at bay. "If Akane would rather run away than marry Ranma, then how will we carry on the school of anything goes martial arts?"

Genma Saotome sat on the other side of the shogi board, his chin in his hands and a thoughtful expression on his face. "Hmmm…"

"Do you have anything, my old friend?"

"Hmmm…" He looked at Soun and let out a laugh. "Nope, not one idea!"

"Ugh, you're useless!" The leader of the Tendo house fell down melodramatically.

"You know, he never needed to marry Akane. Any one of us would do."

Both fathers looked at the person the voice came from. Nabiki Tendo. The realization hit them both. Soun was the first to jump up. "That's right! It doesn't HAVE to be Akane…"

"Ranma can marry any one of your daughters!" Genma completed the thought. "The dojo will go on!"

The two danced for a second before stopping, a worried look on their faces. "Wait, but which one?" Soun asked. Both of them looked at Nabiki. Their voices became hushed. "If Nabiki marries Ranma…"

"She did say she wanted to sell the dojo and live the good life…" Genma shuttered along with his friend.

Soun cupped a hand by his mouth like a megaphone. "Kasumi! Come here for a moment!"

After a moment, Kasumi came out of the kitchen, smiling like always. "Yes, Father?"

"Kasumi, sit down, will you?" She did as she was told. Soun sat down on the opposite side of the table from her. "You remember the fight that Akane and I had this morning, right?"

"Of course, father. I do hope you two make up soon. Akane can be such a stubborn girl."

"Yes. But in the meantime, we need to secure the future of this dojo. We've tried for two years now to get Akane to accept that responsibility, and for two years, she has rebelled against it. And now…" tears started to stream down his face. "Now, I'm afraid she'll leave for good if we try to hold her down any more!"

Concern etched onto Kasumi's face. "Father…"

"Please Kasumi, I need your help! I need you to do something for your pitiful father! Something I never wanted to ask you to do, but I need you to obey me in this, more than anything else before!"

"Of course. I'll do anything for you." Genuine and motherly love showed on the oldest sister's face.

"I need you to marry Ranma and carry on the school of anything goes martial arts!"

Kasumi let out a gasp, covering her mouth with her hand. "You… you want me to… marry Ranma?"

An arm covered Soun's eyes as tears continued to stream out of them. "I wish I didn't have to ask you, but there's no one else who can do it! Please, Kasumi, please say you'll be the daughter your father needs so badly right now!"

There was a moment of hesitation. Nabiki, arms crossed, watched the entire scene from the doorway, waiting for Kasumi's answer. The only sound anyone could hear was the wind. After a few moments, Kasumi finally spoke. "Very well, father. I'll do as you ask."

Nabiki cursed under her breath.

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Next Time on 'Unforeseen Consequences': Ukyo vs. Kasumi? How much trouble is Ranma in? How are Ryoga and Shampoo doing? Are Mousse and Akane really just friends? Will any of these questions actually be answered? I have no idea; I'm making this up as I go!

(Author's Notes)

Well, I didn't expect to write this quite that fast. The idea just came (mostly thanks to you reviewers!) and I just had to run with it! Again, I want to give a shout out to everyone who's reviewed and everyone who's read the story! I'm really shocked! Almost 30 reviews and over 1,000 views in less than two weeks! I really can't believe it! Thank you all SO MUCH! I LOVE YOU ALL!

And now, my responses!

To Getter B. Rabbit: I'm really glad you like the story! I try to put as much heart into what I write as I can. I'm not sure if Mousse will ever THANK Ryoga, but I do feel confident he will eventually forgive him. And as far as a stream of light falling on Mousse when he fell off the roof, honestly, I didn't even think about that. My bad. It would have been so perfect too. I have been planning on including Ukyo, I just really felt like I needed to set it up right for her to come in. I was planning this chapter to have her, but then you reviewed and sealed the deal! Thanks for the support, and thank you for all the great comments!

To VinnyM 787: Yeah, it was a funny little idea I had, but reviews are really what make me want to write. Just the shear amount of reviews and love people have for this story has made me put other projects on the back burner for this story. I do have an actual Ryoga/Ukyo story started up (but not posted), fully outlined and three chapters are done on it, but this story, with its wild antics and the complete lack of planning, is just so much fun! I'm so glad you guys are having fun with it too! Again, thank you for letting me know what you think! You guys are the reason I write!

To Eldersprig: I… I'm not sure what you're getting at here. If you're complaining about Akane getting along with Mousse after what happened the first time they met, well, Ryoga tried to go through Akane when they first met, and she forgave him immediately, Pantyhose Tarou kidnapped her with the intention of killing her if the group didn't comply with his demands, and she actively tried to help him. Prince Toma threatened her with the water of drowned man in the second movie if she didn't agree to run for the position of his fiancée. Mind you, I'm not trying to defend why I wrote the two getting along, just explaining how I came to the conclusion that they not only could, but should. If that's not what you were getting at, well, I'm dense. I got nothing else. In any case, I'd love it if you kept reading and let me know what you think of future (or, present now) installments!

To everyone who's reading: I love you all so much! Thank you for taking time out of your day to read my dumb little story! I hope you're all enjoying reading it as much as I'm enjoying writing it!


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